Disney Actor Stands Up for Bryan Singer in Sex Abuse Scandal

Bryan Singer isn't used to attention from the press, but found himself on the cover of tabloids last week when he was hit with a lawsuit from a man who claims the X-Men director sexually assaulted him when he was a minor. Now, Singer is getting vouched for by another young actor, Wizards of Waverly Place star Matthew Smith, who says Singer never laid a finger on him even though "he had every chance to rape me."

The Disney actor, a gay man, says the allegations against Singer are completely baseless, telling TMZ he believes Singer's accuser Michael Egan will get "murdered in court." Smith says he has been alone with Singer several times, including on a private jet, but was never put in an uncomfortable position by the A-list director.

Egan, now 31, claims Singer sexually abused him on several occasions when he was a minor: once in 1997, at a party in the Hollywood Hills, and again in 1999, during two separate trips to Hawaii. Singer vehemently denies all of Egan's allegations, adding that he was in Toronto shooting an installment of the X-Men franchise during the time Egan accused him of rape in Hawaii. The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Singer's accuser filed a lawsuit claiming sex abuse for the identical periods of time in 2000, but didn't name Singer as a defendant.

Since making his breakthrough film The Usual Suspects in 1995, Singer has been one of the most sought-after directors in Hollywood. He is best-known for helming the multi-billion dollar X-Men franchise. X-Men: Days of Future Past is due in the theaters next month.